The Twelve Days of Kuno
by Hanakin
Summary: Kuno invites the pigtailed girl on a cruise to Alaska, leading to a series of crazy events... will Ranma ever be able to prove to Kuno that HE is the pigtailed girl? PLEASE R&R!!
1. An Unwanted Invitation

An Unwanted Invitation  
  
Disclaimer: Blah Blah Blah: All characters, except for the characters with no specific name, are property of Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
Author's Note: Yay, it's my second fanfic- and this one is much better!! Read and enjoy!  
  
It was summer vacation, and Ranma (male) waited behind a fountain in the park for Kuno. Kuno had sent Ranma (female) a note:  
  
Dear Pigtailed Girl,  
  
I have a marvelous surprise for you! Meet me by the fountain at 4:00 today.  
  
-Kuno  
  
Ranma wasn't going to show up as a girl- he just planned to spy on Kuno and see what he was up to. Even though Ranma desperately wanted to put a stop to this "pigtailed girl" business of Kuno's, he wasn't sure how to make Kuno understand. Ranma and Akane had tried to previously, but… Kuno just didn't get it. Maybe by watching Kuno, he could get some ideas.  
  
Suddenly, someone ran into Ranma, and he fell into the fountain. The person ran off without apologizing, and Ranma was left struggling out of the fountain. He was pissed off, wet, cold, and a girl.  
  
Kuno arrived at that moment and rushed to Ranma (female). "Did you fall into the fountain, pigtailed girl? I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you! Take my shirt and put it on! It will keep you nice and warm!"  
  
Reluctantly, Ranma took Kuno's shirt and wrapped it around herself. Then she sighed and decided that for now, it would be best to play along with Kuno as the pigtailed girl.  
  
"Thanks, Kuno!" She cried. "Didn't you want to tell me something…?"  
  
"Oh yes, of course!" Kuno shouted as he slapped himself. "Pigtailed girl, we are going on a long and romantic journey together!"  
  
"What…?" asked Ranma. This sounded like it was more than she had bargained for!  
  
Kuno couldn't keep his secret any longer. "I booked a vacation for us! We're taking a 12-day cruise to Alaska! I thought that since this summer is so hot that it would be so nice to go somewhere cold, and then I asked myself, 'Whom should I take?' and of course I knew it had to be the pigtailed girl!"  
  
Ranma was dumbfounded. There was no way that she was going on a cruise with Kuno! Who knows what would happen?? "Then again," thought Ranma, "it would be the perfect way to reveal to Kuno that there is no pigtailed girl… wait, what am I saying? How in the world could I go on a vacation with Kuno?!?"  
  
"Oh, Kuno, that sounds wonderful!" cried Ranma. "I'll have to check to make sure I can go, and then I'll let you know, okay?"  
  
"Please come, pigtailed girl!" pleaded Kuno. "My vacation would be gloomy without you!"  
  
"Bye, Kuno!" hollered Ranma, who was trying to leave as quickly as possible. "I'll get back to you about it!"  
  
"So long, pigtailed girl! I will come see you tomorrow!"  
  
Ranma ran as fast as she could to the Tendo house. "Wait until Akane hears about this…" 


	2. Discussions, Decisions, and Deals

Discussions, Decisions, and Deals  
  
After dinner that night, Ranma (male) and Akane went outside. Akane wasn't sure what was going on with Ranma, but it seemed pretty urgent.  
  
"So what's going on?" Akane asked.  
  
Ranma sighed. "You'll never guess what happened. You know how I was going to the park to spy on Kuno?"  
  
"Yeah," said Akane.  
  
"Well," continued Ranma, "I got pushed into the fountain and became a girl and then Kuno saw me. It turns out that he booked a 12-day Alaska cruise for the two of us." Ranma sighed again. "This may sound crazy, but I think I might go with him. It would be the perfect way to prove once and for all that Ranma and the pigtailed girl are the same person."  
  
Akane looked as though she didn't believe him.  
  
"I'm serious!" protested Ranma. "But… well, I wanted your opinion."  
  
Akane couldn't help but smile. She thought for a minute, and then said, "You have a good point about it being the perfect way to make him realize things. But you must admit that if it gets out of hand, then things could get pretty bad. I don't know, Ranma. It might not be a good idea. And if you're going to be in Alaska, then hot water might be somewhat hard to find. A lot of things could go wrong."  
  
They sat in silence, and finally Ranma came to a decision. "I'm going to go. This pigtailed girl stuff just has to end. Besides," Ranma added with a grin, "I'll get a free vacation."  
  
"…Okay, Ranma," Akane replied unsurely. "But if something goes wrong, don't say I didn't warn you!"  
  
Akane got up and started to walk into the house when she ran into Nabiki, who was standing at the door.  
  
"Nabiki, were you listening?" Akane asked, even though she already knew the answer.  
  
Nabiki smiled and said, "I can get you a ticket on that cruise- all expenses paid- so that you can keep an eye on Ranma and Kuno… for only 100,000 yen."  
  
Akane groaned.  
  
~*~  
  
The next week, Ranma and Kuno were about to depart for Alaska, and Akane had a ticket and was ready to follow them. 


	3. A Crazy Departure (And this is just the ...

A Crazy Departure (And this is just the beginning!)  
  
On the day of the ship's departure, Ranma planned to meet Kuno on the pier. As Ranma waited for Kuno to arrive, she looked up at the huge ship that would be her home for the next 12 days. She sighed. Maybe Akane was right- this wasn't such a good idea after all. What kind of sick things could Kuno have in mind?  
  
"Oh pigtailed giiiirrrrrl!" a voice called.  
  
"Well," thought Ranma, "It's too late to change my mind." She ran towards Kuno with a gleeful cry of "Oh Kuno, my darling!"  
  
Kuno greeted Ranma with an unexpected (and unwanted) kiss. With his arm around Ranma, he shouted, "Our lifelong voyage begins today! Let us go to our first-class cabins!"  
  
"Lifelong voyage…?" Ranma repeated to herself. "This is going to be a long, long vacation…"  
  
~*~  
  
Meanwhile, Akane was watching from behind a tree. "Ranma," grumbled Akane, "I never knew that you would be so… enthusiastic about this voyage with Kuno… I'm really going to keep my eye on you…"  
  
Akane felt something rub her ankle. Looking down, she gasped. It was a small ball of fluff with two eyes and a snout.  
  
"P-chan!" Akane cried. "I haven't seen you in such a long time!" She glanced at her watch. "P-chan, I'm supposed to board the ship in five minutes… hey, how about you coming along? I'm sure no one would mind."  
  
P-chan rubbed her ankle again in reply. With that, Akane picked up P- chan and headed toward the ship.  
  
~*~  
  
Kuno opened to door to their cabin, A-2. Considering that they were on a ship, their cabin was large- about the size of an average hotel room. At the other end of the cabin there was a love seat next to a porthole window. The walls were painted sea green and the room smelled of a fresh ocean breeze. And, to Ranma's dismay, there was only one bed.  
  
"Isn't it lovely, pigtailed girl?" whispered Kuno.  
  
Ranma forced herself to nod, but she was only thinking about the bed. "If we're going to sleep in the same bed," pondered a nervous Ranma, "I am never going to get through this cruise alive. I have to do something!" However, she didn't know what she could do…  
  
Kuno interrupted Ranma's thoughts. "And for tonight I have arranged for us to eat in the most romantic restaurant on the ship!"  
  
Ranma began to feel slightly nauseated. "Excuse me, Kuno, do you mind if I go for a short walk? I don't feel too well…"  
  
Kuno's face erupted with fear and concern. "Would you like me to escort you pigtailed girl, or- or let me take your temperature, you might have a fever, and-"  
  
"I'm fine, Kuno, don't worry!" Ranma said rather harshly.  
  
"Wha- whatever you wish, pigtailed girl…" murmured Kuno as Ranma walked out the door. Then he stood there for half and hour thinking over the conversation and trying to figure out what he did wrong.  
  
~*~  
  
At the same time, Akane had found her cabin, F-36. It was the size of a closet. There were no windows, and not one drop of color anywhere in the room. Akane was NOT amused. "I should have known Nabiki would do this- buy me the cheapest cabin so she would get most of the money for herself!"  
  
After trying to make her cabin a bit more homely (which didn't help much), Akane squeezed into the miniscule shower, turned on the freezing water, and took a literal 4-second shower. "I can't believe this…"  
  
After redressing, Akane was still angry and frustrated. She decided to take a stroll around the ship, leaving P-chan in her cabin. While walking through the first-class hallway, a strange looking note on a door caught her eye. It was a white Post-It, but it was covered with pink and red hearts. In fancy handwriting was written:  
  
My Dearest Pigtailed Girl,  
  
I have gone to the restaurant to set up our private dining room. Meet me in front of the restaurant "Candlelight" at 7:00. You shall be pleasantly astonished!  
  
-Your loving Kuno  
  
There were about 100 sweat drops on Akane's face. Ranma was in for a big surprise! But maybe she could use this to help Ranma prove to Kuno that there was no pigtailed girl… AH HAH!  
  
Akane raced down the hallway towards "Candlelight" to ask for a waitress job for the evening… 


	4. The First Of Several Romantic Evenings

The First of Several Romantic Evenings  
  
After drinking many cups of coffee and puking in the toilet several times, Ranma felt that she was ready to return to her cabin. When she did, she saw the heart covered Post-It note (see chapter 3). "I can't wait," mumbled Ranma sarcastically, and she went inside the cabin to get ready.  
  
~*~  
  
Kuno was enjoying himself immensely as he decorated the private dining room for the romantic dinner. He pictured how perfectly it would go… him and the pigtailed girl would eat delicious sushi. The seaweed wouldn't get stuck in their teeth, and their breath would still smell good. Then he would whisk the pigtailed girl off to their cabin, and then, well, only Kuno knows what would happen if he could have his way…  
  
Kuno hummed as he filled a vase with flowers and lit fragrant candles. Next, he put a CD of classical music into a nearby boom box and made sure that the volume was low. Oh, what a wonderful evening this would be…  
  
~*~  
  
At 7:00, Ranma stood at the entrance of the restaurant "Candlelight." She was wearing a light blue satin kimono. The butterfly pattern on her kimono matched the feeling inside her stomach. She could hardly imagine getting through dinner with Kuno. And getting through the night would be even worse.  
  
At that moment, Kuno appeared at the entrance to the restaurant in a fancy black tuxedo. "Pigtailed girl," he cried to Ranma, "our dinner awaits."  
  
Without hesitation, Ranma entered "Candlelight."  
  
Kuno led Ranma to the back of the restaurant, where a room filled with candles, flowers, classical music, and wonderful smells awaited them. On the floor was a low table, and on two opposite sides there were tatami mats sprinkled with rose petals on the ground. Ranma couldn't help but be impressed. Then she remembered why she was there in the first place. She was supposed to get Kuno to realize the truth about the "pigtailed girl." Now she realized how much the "pigtailed girl" really meant to Kuno.  
  
"Well," said Kuno, "Have a seat."  
  
As Ranma sat down, The Waitress came into the room. The Waitress had short red hair, and despite her excessive make-up, she looked a lot like Akane…  
  
"Good evening," greeted The Waitress. "And what would you like to drink tonight?"  
  
The Waitress turned to Kuno. "I'd like some green tea, please," Kuno said pleasantly. "What would you like, my pigtailed girl?"  
  
Before Ranma could say that she also wanted green tea, The Waitress interrupted, "You should have some hot water. You look like you're cold." She left the room, leaving Ranma with her mouth open, staring after her.  
  
"Pigtailed girl," said Kuno, "I wished to ask you what you wanted to do after our dinner tonight. Perhaps you would like to walk around the ship, or see a movie, or" -a mischievous look crossed his face- "you would like to go to bed early?"  
  
Ranma decided that the walk around the ship would be the least risky. "A walk would be nice…"  
  
The Waitress came back into the room, carrying a tray with green tea and hot water. "There you are, sir," murmured The Waitress as she put the green tea in front of Kuno, and "There's your HOT water, miss" as she put the hot water in front of Ranma. Then she stood there as if she was waiting for something.  
  
Ranma thought for a moment. "I could pour the hot water on myself, and end this 'pigtailed girl' business right away! But," she reconsidered, "I'm not sure I want to hurt Kuno so soon into the trip. And that waitress is standing right here, I wouldn't want to scare her."  
  
"Kuno," Ranma asked with a sweet voice, "Do you mind if we trade drinks? I have a headache, and I think that your green tea would help me."  
  
"Of course, pigtailed girl!" Shouted Kuno. "Whatever makes you happy."  
  
They switched mugs, and then at the same time they glanced up at The Waitress, who seemed shocked by what they had just done. She kept on looking back and forth at the two of them as if she couldn't believe her eyes. With a pout, The Waitress stalked out of the room.  
  
"Stupid Ranma!" The Waitress thought. "Why didn't he see that his perfect chance to fix everything was right there? What's he trying to do? Well, if he doesn't want help from me, then I'll just let him mess up everything for himself!"  
  
~*~  
  
After dinner, Ranma and Kuno walked out onto the deck. "Dinner went pretty well," mused Ranma to herself. "Kuno isn't too bad when he's friendly and not obsessing over you." Then she remembered the waitress who had served them. "She was pretty strange. When she brought the miso soup, it was almost like she tried to spill it on me. And the ice cream she brought us was hot and watery. But she was kinda cute."  
  
Kuno took Ranma by the hand and told her to look up at the stars. "What do you see?" Kuno asked her.  
  
Ranma tried, but she couldn't see anything except for the glimmering lights among the sky. "I don't know," she mumbled. "I just see… stars."  
  
Kuno thought for a moment, and then whispered, "Do you know what I see? I see a radiant heart of love among the stars that will never be broken. In that heart I can see the love I feel for you, pigtailed goddess."  
  
Ranma couldn't help but blush. No one had ever said something so nice to her, as a male or a female. "Oh god," thought Ranma. "How can I hurt him? How can I tell him that what he loves… just isn't real?"  
  
She took a deep breath. "Kuno, I-"  
  
"I know what you want to say, pigtailed goddess," whispered Kuno, "And I feel exactly the same way." Ranma felt stunned as Kuno placed his hands on her shoulders and bowed his head. "I… I have something to tell you, pigtailed girl…"  
  
~*~  
  
Akane stormed to her cabin. After all she had done, Ranma didn't understand! He just didn't get the fact that he had to turn back into a guy before things got complicated! What else would she have to do to make him listen without revealing who she was?  
  
She was so upset that she forgot to close the door to her cabin and leapt onto her small bed. P-chan hopped up next to her. "Oh, P-chan," cried Akane, "Ranma is so stupid. It's like he wants Kuno to think that he's a girl! I don't know what he's doing! I wish you could help me…"  
  
Akane fell asleep with P-chan at her side. P-chan considered his values for a moment, and then decided that he could give up a night in bed with Akane to try to grant her wish. P-chan sneaked out of the cabin and journeyed down the hallway, forgetting that he was a stowaway pig on a huge ship. 


	5. Major Complications

Major Complications  
  
P-Chan walked slowly down the hallway. He had no idea where he was going. His only purpose was to find Ranma and get him to change back into a guy… wait a minute! If Ranma changed back into a guy, then that will make things better between Ranma and Akane! And of course P-Chan didn't want that. So actually, the best thing for him to do would be to keep Ranma and Akane as far apart as possible! That sounded simple enough.  
  
Meaning that there was no real reason to wander around the ship yet. Then P-Chan realized that he didn't know what direction he came from. Greatly confuzzled (lol), he headed for the upper decks of the ship.  
  
~*~  
  
"Pigtailed gi-girl," stammered Kuno, "I wanted to… to know…" Kuno reached into his pocket and took out a small black box. He let out a sigh and whispered, "I wanted to know if… if you will be my wife."  
  
Kuno looked at the ground and handed Ranma the black box. Inside was the most beautiful diamond ring Ranma had ever seen. "Oh, Kuno," gasped Ranma, but it was from pain in her heart, not from awe.  
  
"I know that it's a bit early," rushed in Kuno, "but you have the whole cruise to decide. Please, pigtailed goddess," begged Kuno with tears in his eyes, "I love you more than you can possibly imagine. Keep that in your heart when you decide. You mean a lot to me."  
  
Ranma turned to look up at the stars, and then answered, "Come on, Kuno. It's getting cold. We should go back to our cabin." Together they turned to go in silence.  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning when Akane woke up, she thought it was still nighttime. But the clock said 8:00! "Oh, I forgot," grumbled Akane. "There aren't any windows in my cabin."  
  
Akane looked around the room. Where was P-Chan? "P-Chan?" Akane called. "Where are you, P-Chan?" Realizing that there was no one in the room except her, Akane dressed quickly and hurried out of the room.  
  
~*~  
  
Ranma couldn't believe that it was only the second day of the cruise. She had spent most of the night in the bathroom, as she was still slightly afraid of Kuno and she didn't feel that well, anyway. She couldn't believe that Kuno proposed to her. What a pervert! And she thought things were bad before that! But she couldn't help feeling sorry for Kuno. If she explained things to Kuno now, he would be so devastated that he would probably jump off the ship or something!  
  
Kuno was in an exceptionally good mood this morning. He happily suggested that him and Ranma go to the "Sunshine Café" for breakfast.  
  
After they sat down and ordered their meals, Kuno said cheerily, "Well, pigtailed girl, we have a long day ahead of us, but nothing planned! What would you like to do this morning?"  
  
"Hmmmm," thought Ranma, "What's a safe and unromantic activity to do with Kuno?"  
  
"Well," said Ranma aloud, "I was thinking that- RYOGA!"  
  
Ranma's eyes shot out of their sockets as she spotted a fatigued black pig walking wearily around the café. "What the **** is Ryoga doing here?!?" Ranma thought to herself. "When- and how- did he get on board??"  
  
"What did you say, pigtailed girl?" Kuno asked, looking slightly confused.  
  
Ranma had forgotten that Kuno was even there. "Umm… I said 'we yoga!' Yeah, I thought maybe you wanted to go to the gym and take a yoga class or something…" She hoped that didn't sound too crazy. She wasn't even sure that there was a gym on the ship.  
  
But Kuno was thrilled. "What a marvelous idea, pigtailed girl! You're always so smart and cunning!"  
  
Ranma thought she could hear him add under his breath, "That's why I love you so much…"  
  
~*~  
  
"P-Chan?" Akane shouted down hallway after hallway. She couldn't find him anywhere! And to make her feel worse, people kept sticking their heads out of their cabins and telling her to shut up (well that does make sense. You're supposed to sleep in when you're on vacation!)!  
  
After an hour of searching, Akane gave up and headed toward "Sunshine Café" for breakfast. She was so lost in thought that she tripped over a black ball of fur.  
  
"P-Chan!" Akane shouted with joy.  
  
P-Chan was also glad for the rescue. He had spent all night searching the ship for Akane's cabin, but had never found it. Instead, he had been found and chased by the ship's cook several times.  
  
"Come on, P-Chan," said Akane, "Let's go back to our room and have breakfast there. I'm not so hungry anymore."  
  
On the way back to the cabin, Akane and P-Chan passed by the ship gyms' glass doors. To Akane's dismay, she saw Ranma and Kuno laughing while trying to copy each other's yoga positions.  
  
"Ranma!" Akane mumbled, "I've had enough of this! I'm going to go talk to you myself!"  
  
~*~  
  
That afternoon, there was a knock on the door of cabin A-2. Ranma and Kuno had just returned from eating a quick lunch, and were about to go out again to play shuffleboard. "Who could that be…?" murmured Ranma as she went to the door.  
  
Standing there was a girl with short green hair in a stewardess' uniform. Ranma noticed that she looked strangely like The Waitress- and Akane…  
  
"Excuse me?" asked The Stewardess. "Are you the pigtailed girl?"  
  
Ranma grinned. "Umm, yeah, I guess I am."  
  
"There is an urgent message waiting for you at the communications center of the ship. Would you like me to escort you there?"  
  
Ranma looked back at Kuno. "Come on, Kuno, it's probably on the way to the shuffleboard-"  
  
"NO!" shouted The Stewardess. Ranma and Kuno looked at her with alarm. "I mean, the message is supposed to be very private, and I would suggest that you come alone."  
  
Ranma shrugged. "Okay."  
  
The Stewardess looked thrilled. "Follow me, then."  
  
As soon as the door closed behind The Stewardess and Ranma, The Stewardess grabbed Ranma's wrist and pulled her down the hallway. "Hurry!" The Stewardess cried, "We have to hurry!" 


	6. Hurt Feelings

Hurt Feelings  
  
The Stewardess dragged Ranma down five flights of stairs. Ranma had no idea who she was or what she was doing, but she decided to wait and see where The Stewardess was taking her. After all, she was kinda cute.  
  
Finally they reached a small cabin, F-36. The Stewardess opened the door. Ranma looked around.  
  
Sleeping on the floor was P-Chan, and on the nightstand stood a framed picture of the Tendo family. Ranma took a closer look at The Stewardess, who was no longer The Stewardess, but simply Akane with green hair and a uniform.  
  
"Akane…?" Ranma gasped. "What are you doing here…?" Ranma glanced at P-Chan. "And what's he doing here?!"  
  
Akane frowned. "Don't worry about P-Chan! I've been watching you, Ranma. And you're being so stupid! Don't you realize that the longer you wait to tell Kuno, the harder it's going to be? I told you it wasn't a good idea! Why aren't you trying to tell him anything yet? I even tried to help you and you didn't get it!"  
  
Ranma had to smile. "So you were the waitress last night? Thanks for trying to ruin my best kimono by spilling hot soup on it!"  
  
By this time, Akane was becoming frustrated. "Ranma, you have to tell him now! I'm not giving you a choice!"  
  
"You don't understand, Akane," Ranma shouted, "Things are a lot worse than you think that are!"  
  
"Huh?" asked Akane.  
  
Ranma sighed. "Kuno… he asked me to marry him last night."  
  
"What?!?"  
  
"I just don't know how I can tell him. And you should've heard him last night. He was being so romantic. Not mushy; romantic. If I tell him now… I think he'll commit suicide or something. I just don't want to hurt his feelings."  
  
Akane couldn't help herself. "Ranma, do you know how many times you've hurt MY feelings? And I'm your real fiancée! Do you care about KUNO more than ME?" Akane began to cry. "What's wrong with ME, Ranma? Why can't you be nice to ME? Why can't you care about ME instead of stupid, old Kuno?"  
  
Ranma was at loss of words. "Akane… Kuno's just… different."  
  
Akane was sobbing. "You know what, Ranma? Why don't you just go and marry Kuno, and stay a girl forever! That way you won't have to worry about me, or Shampoo, or Ukyo, or even Kodachi bothering you!"  
  
"Akane," Ranma whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt you like that-"  
  
"Just go!" shouted Akane. "Just leave me alone! I wanted to help you, but now you're just going to have to help yourself! Go!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Akane…" mumbled Ranma as he went out the door.  
  
Meanwhile, P-Chan sat on the floor, grunting with approval.  
  
~*~  
  
Ranma didn't go back to her cabin right away. She walked along the decks, thinking about what she was supposed to do. Now Akane hated her, and Kuno would hate her if she told him the truth. Stupid Kuno. This was all his fault. Ranma had her mind made up- she was going to tell Kuno the truth and get Akane back.  
  
~*~  
  
Kuno was waiting in their cabin when Ranma returned.  
  
"Hi, Kuno," greeted Ranma. "You know what, I changed my mind. Why don't we go to the Jacuzzi instead of playing shuffleboard?"  
  
"A fabulous suggestion, my pigtailed girl!" Kuno cried.  
  
On their way to the Jacuzzi, Ranma said firmly to Kuno, "Now I want you to watch me carefully as I step into the water, okay? Don't even think about taking your eyes off of me!"  
  
Kuno grinned. "That's an easy task for me, pigtailed girl!"  
  
Ranma just sighed and hoped things would work out.  
  
At the Jacuzzi, before stepping in, Ranma asked, "Are you watching me, Kuno?"  
  
"Of course!" shouted Kuno,  
  
Ranma stepped into the hot water. In a flash, she turned into the male version of Ranma.  
  
"Look, Kuno, it's me! The pigtailed girl!" said Ranma as he faced Kuno.  
  
Ranma received a kick in the face. "WHAT…DID… YOU DO… TO THE PIGTAILED GIRL?!?" Kuno screamed. "RANMA, YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!"  
  
Not knowing what else to do, Ranma ran off to the first aid station on the ship. He didn't look back.  
  
~*~  
  
After fixing up the bruise on his face, Ranma went back to the cabin. Unfortunately, Kuno got there before him.  
  
"OUT, RANMA, OUT! AND BRING ME BACK MY PIGTAILED GIRL!"  
  
Ranma took his time leaving the cabin, and as a consequence, was hit on the back of the head with a pad of Post It notes.  
  
~*~  
  
Akane was taking a nap when there was a soft knock on her door. Maybe it was P-Chan. He had gone exploring again. After splashing water on her face to wash away her dried tears, she opened the door.  
  
Ranma (male) was standing there with an apologetic half smile on his face.  
  
"Ranma, what do you want now?!" demanded Akane.  
  
Ranma became serious. "Akane, I just tried to show Kuno that the male Ranma and the pigtailed girl are the same, and I ended up with this nice bruise on my face and a bump on my head. I made sure that Kuno was watching when I changed, and he STILL didn't get it. Now are you happy?"  
  
"You know, Ranma," Akane warned, "I only came on this cruise to help you and keep an eye on you! It was our argument earlier that made you try to tell Kuno. Admit it! You need me!"  
  
Ranma sighed. "Okay, okay, I guess I do."  
  
"For now," suggested Akane, "go back to Kuno as the pigtailed girl, and act as if everything is normal. I think I might know someone who can help us."  
  
"Who?!?" insisted Ranma.  
  
"I'm not going to tell you yet, because it, umm, might be too expensive, but I'll tell you as soon as I find out." Akane gave him a nervous glance. "Ranma… I didn't mean a lot of what I said earlier… I just felt hurt, that's all. And if you want, you can stay in my room tonight- IF you promise to stay a girl." Akane giggled. "It must be really hard for you to spend the night with Kuno…"  
  
Ranma smiled. "Thanks, Akane. Yeah, and about before… I'm sorry. I didn't know that you would take this whole thing so seriously."  
  
"It's okay," whispered Akane. "Thanks for apologizing, Ranma… I really appreciated that."  
  
There was an awkward moment of silence, and then Ranma said, "Well, I guess I should be going back to Kuno. Do you mind if I use your sink to change back into…?"  
  
"Sure," answered Akane. "I'll see you later then, Ranma."  
  
~*~  
  
In the meantime, Kuno was pacing the room of the cabin rapidly. What had Ranma done to the pigtailed girl?!? What should he do? Should he just wait for her to come back, or should he call security, or should he try to rescue her himself? Kuno shook his head fiercely. "I…CAN'T…DECIDE!"  
  
Luckily, Kuno was saved from further rage by the entrance of Ranma (female). "Hey there, Kuno," said Ranma casually.  
  
"PIGTAILED GIRL! YOU HAVE RETURNED!" screamed Kuno. Kuno ran to Ranma and hugged her so hard that she could barely breathe. "I missed you so much!"  
  
Suddenly, Kuno became serious. "What did Ranma do to you, pigtailed girl?? What horrible things did he put you through?? If I see him again… I'll…"  
  
"Oh, it was nothing, Kuno, don't worry." Ranma tried to sound convincing so that Kuno would drop the subject. "He was nice to me and everything, and then he let me go."  
  
This was not the right answer for Kuno. "THE THIEF! I'll get my hands on him yet!"  
  
Ranma shivered. Wouldn't it be funny if Kuno found out that Ranma (the male) was right before him…?  
  
~*~  
  
P-Chan returned to Akane's room after a long afternoon of exploring. He doubted that he would be exploring again very soon- it was too easy to get lost. Akane's door was already open, so walked right in.  
  
Akane was using the phone in the room. P-Chan's eyes narrowed. Who could Akane be calling? Phone calls from the ship were expensive, so it had to be urgent.  
  
"Kasumi?" said Akane. "Can I speak to Nabiki, please? It's very important. Yes, I'm okay. Yes, he's okay, too. Thanks, Kasumi."  
  
There was a 10 second pause.  
  
"Nabiki? I'm so glad I could reach you. Listen, Ranma's having some problems with this Kuno thing- Kuno doesn't understand no matter what Ranma does. I know this is a big favor to ask, and you'll probably make me pay you, but I was wondering if…"  
  
~*~  
  
Ranma and Kuno ate dinner at the "Ocean Liner Diner." Then, after attempting to convince Ranma for what seemed like forever, Kuno finally took Ranma to the ship casino.  
  
"But Kuno… aren't you only seventeen?"  
  
"That doesn't matter, pigtailed girl! Let's just have some fun!"  
  
Kuno stepped up to a slot machine and inserted some money. He pulled the lever on the side of the machine… and whoosh! Cherry, Cherry, Cherry!  
  
Ranma and Kuno stared in disbelief as coins poured out of the machine. "…We're rich, pigtailed goddess!" cried Kuno. With Ranma's assistance, Kuno managed to carry all the coins back to their cabin.  
  
Upon returning to their cabin, Kuno immediately began counting the coins. After over an hour of counting, Kuno shouted, "617,023 yen! Pigtailed goddess, that is enough to pay for our wedding and our honeymoon!"  
  
::Sweatdrop:: "Wedding… and… honeymoon…?" Ranma whispered to herself.  
  
~*~  
  
Akane prepared her small cabin for Ranma's arrival. "He better not try anything…" Akane murmured.  
  
This caught P-Chan's attention. "He"? "Try anything"? P-Chan's mind went to Ranma. Had Ranma stolen Akane from him when he finally thought that things would be under control- without Ranma? P-Chan gave an angry grunt.  
  
Akane heard him. "P-Chan," Akane advised, "Don't bother Ranma when he comes tonight, or else I'll have to keep you in the bathroom." P-Chan looked very upset. Akane groaned. "I don't think I'll ever understand why you hate Ranma so much, P-Chan! Are you jealous or something? Because you shouldn't be. I'll always love you, no matter what."  
  
Akane held P-Chan to her chest. P-Chan gave a quiet squeal of delight. But he had to stop Ranma… even if it meant leaving Akane's room. P-Chan would make sure that Ranma never came to Akane's room again…  
  
~*~  
  
Later, when Ranma was quite sure that Kuno was asleep, she crawled out of bed towards the bathroom. She filled a water bottle with some water so she could change into a girl again in case she needed to. Then she headed toward the cabin door. What was that sound? Was someone talking? Ranma strained to hear.  
  
"…Oh, pigtailed girl… don't be frightened… I'm not going to hurt you… I just want to…"  
  
"The pervert," mumbled Ranma. Hoping that Kuno was simply talking in his sleep and wasn't really awake, Ranma slowly opened the door and snuck outside the cabin. 


	7. The Temporary Replacement of the Pigtail...

The Temporary Replacement of the Pigtailed Girl  
  
"We meet again, Ranma," sounded an evil voice.  
  
Ranma whipped around. There was Ryoga- in his non-pig form.  
  
"Ryoga," said Ranma, "Now is NOT the time!"  
  
Ranma pulled out the water bottle and quickly splashed the water on Ryoga, who instantly transformed into P-Chan. Then, to rid herself of her troubles completely, Ranma reopened the door to her cabin and threw in P- Chan. "Kuno and P-Chan should be fast friends," thought Ranma.  
  
She hurried to Akane's cabin. After Akane let Ranma in, Akane went to sit on the bed and Ranma sat on the floor. "Do you mind sleeping on the floor?" Akane asked.  
  
Ranma shook her head. "Course not."  
  
Akane was relieved. "So, anything new going on with Kuno?"  
  
Ranma laughed. "He took me to the casino after dinner, and even though he's only seventeen, he tried the slot machine… and won."  
  
Akane stared at him. "Are you serious, Ranma?"  
  
"Yep. He said that we could use it to pay for our wedding and honeymoon." Ranma made a face. "Feh, if Kuno knew that he was actually proposing to me, Ranma, he would never be able to face anyone again!"  
  
Akane grinned, and then yawned. "That's for sure." Akane lay down on the bed to go to sleep.  
  
Ranma was quiet for a minute, then whispered, "Hey Akane, speaking of money, did you find out about that person who could help us yet?"  
  
No answer. Akane was already fast asleep.  
  
~*~  
  
Kuno awoke to a series of grunts and snorts. "Ahh," thought Kuno, "the pigtailed girl must be having a dream about me." He turned to look beside him, but to his dismay, Kuno was the only one in the bed… with the exception of P-Chan.  
  
"Pigtailed girl?" cried Kuno. He grabbed P-Chan, who began to squeal loudly. "You're not the pigtailed girl!" Kuno screamed angrily. "What did you do to the pigtailed girl?!? Or are you the pigtailed girl?" Kuno questioned with fear. "No, you cannot be the pigtailed girl. This must be Ranma's work! He has once again stolen my pigtailed girl and replaced her with this unworthy pig!"  
  
This logically made P-Chan squeal again in protest.  
  
"But," Kuno added with a smile, "This pig is quite adorable. I will save it for the pigtailed girl."  
  
Despite P-Chan's squealing and squirming. Kuno placed P-Chan in the shower and put his suitcase against it so P-Chan could not get out.  
  
"Now, off to find my pigtailed goddess…"  
  
~*~  
  
Akane woke Ranma up early. "We landed in Juneau this morning. We need be one of the first people to get off board so that Kuno doesn't see you."  
  
"Why… do we need to… get off board?" a sleepy Ranma asked.  
  
"Because we have to go meet Nabiki."  
  
"Nabiki?? Is that who is going to help us?"  
  
"Uh-huh," confirmed Akane, "she always seems to come up with good ideas. Unfortunately, it's going to cost us."  
  
"Don't worry," Ranma said as she smiled. "Before leaving my cabin, I took my share of Kuno's winnings." (As Ranma said this, five levels above her and Akane, Kuno was shrieking, "RANMA! NOT ONLY DID YOU STEAL MY PIGTAILED GIRL, YOU STOLE MY JACKPOT MONEY! ALL OF IT!")  
  
~*~  
  
Akane and Ranma were the first to leave the ship. Ranma had changed back into a male before leaving Akane's cabin. While observing their icy surroundings, they headed to a nearby hotel- "The Crystal Ice Lodge."  
  
The hotel was beautiful inside. A diamond chandelier hung from the high ceiling of the lobby. Exquisite ice sculptures were everywhere. A sudden thought came to Ranma. Turning to Akane, he asked, "You didn't have to pay for this… did you?"  
  
Akane nodded her head sadly.  
  
"There you are!" Nabiki came running towards them. "I just finished taking a hot bath in my lovely…" Nabiki stopped when she saw Ranma and Akane glaring at her. She didn't want to lose a chance to make some money.  
  
"Ah, yes. I thought of the perfect plan, for you, Ranma. Come up to my room and give me the latest details about Kuno…" Ranma and Akane followed Nabiki as she led them to one of the six elevators (!). 


	8. Ransom For Ranma

Ransom for Ranma  
  
Once Akane, Ranma, and Nabiki arrived in Nabiki's suite, Akane and Ranma explained everything that had happened since Akane had talked to Nabiki the day before.  
  
Nabiki looked quite thoughtful. "Hmm," she mused. "With the change of circumstances, it turns out that my plan will work out even better than I thought it would… and it will be extremely profitable…"  
  
This phrase caused Akane and Ranma to ask at the same time: "How much will this cost us?"  
  
Nabiki beamed. "Actually, you're quite lucky. I believe that if I get all the profits, it will be more than enough."  
  
"So what's the plan??" demanded Ranma.  
  
Nabiki grinned wickedly. "We shall post a ransom for Ranma, or should I say, the 'pigtailed girl'…"  
  
~*~  
  
P-Chan was not pleased about being stuck in the shower. He jumped as high as he could, but he just wasn't able to reach the shower handles to turn on the water. This was all Ranma's fault! ::Grunt, grunt::  
  
~*~  
  
Kuno headed toward the security desk on the ship. He could hardly believe what Ranma had done! He had kidnapped his fiancée, he had stolen all of his winnings from the previous night, and he had replaced those two fine possessions with a pig! Kuno shook his head in disgust.  
  
Kuno stepped up to the security guard behind the desk. "Excuse me?"  
  
The security guard snapped to attention. "May I help you, sir?"  
  
"Yes, my name is Tatewaki Kuno, and I am a first-class passenger on this ship. I have come to report that my fiancée has been kidnapped and my money stolen! And I know who has done it!"  
  
"You do, sir?" asked the security guard with surprise. "He must be a passenger then, sir, because no one would be able to get on board without-"  
  
"I know that!" Kuno barked with impatience. "I can give you his name and a description, and then you will arrest him immediately! His name is Ranma Saotome, and he is almost 6 feet tall and-"  
  
"I'm sorry, sir, but according to my computer, there is no one with that name on board. I'm afraid that you are mistaken."  
  
"WHAT?!? Are you sure??"  
  
The security guard nodded. "I am doubtful that the computer is wrong. We are required to have the name of every passenger and crewmember stored in our computers in case of an emergency. This Ranma you speak of cannot be on board."  
  
"But I saw him…" cried Kuno.  
  
The security guard gave Kuno a strange look. "If you have a picture of this man you are speaking of, I can let you know if I see anyone like him. Otherwise, I'm afraid I cannot help you."  
  
Kuno mumbled something about inhospitality and walked away. He would have to save the pigtailed girl on his own. That sneaky Ranma! He thought of everything so that he wouldn't get caught!  
  
Once Kuno got back to his room, he dug into his carry-on bag and managed to find some crayons. He got some pieces of plain, white paper, sat down at the table, and set to work.  
  
An hour later, Kuno had his final product:  
  
1 MISSING  
  
Beautiful Pigtailed Girl  
  
10,000 yen reward!  
  
[Bad Crayon Drawing of the Pigtailed Girl]  
  
CONTACT TATEWAKI KUNO, ROOM A-2  
  
Kuno set to work again, and five minutes later, he came up with a second product:  
  
5,000 YEN REWARD  
  
For Ranma Saotome  
  
Ugly guy with black hair in a pigtail  
  
[Extremely Bad Crayon Drawing of Male Ranma]  
  
CONTACT TATEWAKI KUNO, ROOM A-2  
  
Kuno immediately took these posters to the office center on the ship. "Hello, I'd like to get 500 colored copies of each of these…"  
  
~*~  
  
"Good luck!" shouted Nabiki as Ranma (male) and Akane re-boarded the ship. "Remember to follow my directions carefully! I'll meet up with you at your next stop!"  
  
"Bye, Nabiki!" Akane and Ranma cried.  
  
They made their way to Kuno's cabin. Akane put her ear to the door cautiously. After listening for a few seconds, she whispered to Ranma, "I don't think he's in there. Hurry, get out the ransom letter!"  
  
Ranma removed a typewritten letter from Akane's bag and taped it to Kuno's door.  
  
"We have to get to my cabin before Kuno comes back!" Akane muttered to Ranma as they ran down the hallway and down the stairs.  
  
~*~  
  
Kuno posted his signs everywhere (and I mean everywhere)! He posted his signs in the restaurants, on cabin doors, on the staircases, in the elevators, on the decks, and he even threw a bunch in the swimming pool. Everyone would know the face of Ranma and the pigtailed girl! In Kuno's mind, there was not even a slight possibility that the pigtailed girl would not immediately be returned to him,  
  
When Kuno returned to his cabin, he found the ransom note on his cabin door:  
  
Tatewaki Kuno-  
  
If you ever want to see your beautiful pigtailed goddess again, please put 50,000 yen in an envelope and slide it under the door of cabin F-36 at 7:30 this evening.  
  
-The kidnapper of your pigtailed girl  
  
"RANMA! I SHALL NOT PAY YOU!" shouted Kuno. But then he became somber. "If I don't pay, then I will never see the pigtailed girl again! I can't let Ranma steal her away!!"  
  
"Pig!" Kuno cried as he opened the door. Remembering that P-Chan was in the shower, he removed the suitcase from the shower door and out came a very unhappy P-Chan. Kuno waved the ransom letter in P-Chan's face.  
  
"Pig!" repeated Kuno. "You were placed here by the kidnapper! Take me to your master!"  
  
P-Chan read the ransom letter. He recognized Akane's cabin number, and realized that Kuno wanted him to lead him to Akane. P-Chan's eyes narrowed. He wasn't going to help that inconsiderate pervert! As a plan formed in his small mind, P-Chan grabbed the letter in his mouth and ran out the door.  
  
"Come back here, you stupid pig!" screamed Kuno as he ran after P- Chan.  
  
~*~  
  
Ranma was sitting in Akane's cabin when she came through the door carrying their dinner. Akane had decided that it would be best for Ranma to stay in the cabin until they got the ransom money from Kuno.  
  
Akane had been slightly worried about P-Chan, since she hadn't seen him for almost 24 hours. But on her way back from the take-out restaurant, what she saw made her forget completely about P-Chan. Akane had seen Kuno's signs everywhere she looked.  
  
Akane told Ranma about the posters as they ate their food. Then she said, "Kuno's stupidity is just really starting to annoy me… hey, I know how to get rid of Kuno!"  
  
Before Ranma could ask any questions, Akane went into the bathroom and quickly dyed her hair blue (she was running out of hair colors…) and ran out the door to the security desk.  
  
~*~  
  
The security guard was getting very tired. In the last thirty minutes, he had gotten seven calls about some strange signs posted around the ship, asking for the return of a "pigtailed girl" and the finding of a man named "Ranma Saotome." They had been posted by Tatewaki Kuno, the weird guy who had talked to him earlier that day. The security guard sighed. Once they found this "Tatewaki Kuno," they would probably have to ask him to leave the ship the next day.  
  
At that time, The Passenger stepped up to the security desk. She had short, blue hair (and if you can't guess who it was, then you're as dim- witted as Kuno!)…  
  
"How may I help you, miss?" asked the security guard.  
  
The Passenger sighed. "Are you going to do anything about the signs that are all over the ship? Some of them are starting to blow away and fall into the sea, you know."  
  
The security guard nodded. "We will have them removed as soon as possible… the signs AND the person who posted them…"  
  
"Maybe I can help you then," The Passenger stated eagerly. "I heard a rumor that this 'Tatewaki Kuno' visits someone in the F-cabin hallway. He's supposed to go there at about 7:30 tonight."  
  
The security guard raised his eyebrows. "And how did you come by this information?"  
  
The Passenger shrugged. "I heard someone in the 'Sunshine Café talking about it."  
  
The security guard seemed content. "I'll trust you then, miss. You can count on the fact that I'll send two security guards down to the hallway at 7:30. We'll get that Tatewaki Kuno!"  
  
The Passenger grinned. "Thank you for your help, sir. Good luck!" Then The Passenger turned around and promptly returned to cabin F-36. 


	9. Stars and Snowballs

Stars and Snowballs  
  
P-Chan ran as fast as his little pig feet would take him. It seemed like Kuno had been chasing him around the ship forever! He just wanted to get back to Akane's room now... even if Kuno followed him. Akane would protect him...  
  
This hallway looked familiar! P-Chan hurriedly looked at the cabin numbers. 32... 34... 36! P-Chan tapped the door with his feet and snorted softly. The door opened quickly and slammed shut.  
  
Kuno entered the hallway seconds later. Where was the stupid pig?? It was supposed to help him find Ranma and the lovely pigtailed girl! Kuno turned in every direction but saw no one. Little did he know that three pairs of eyes were trying to watch him through the peephole of cabin F-36...  
  
"You there!" someone shouted. "Are ya Tatewaki Kuno?"  
  
Kuno turned around. He saw two gruff security guards standing near the staircase. They must have found Ranma or the pigtailed girl! Kuno raised his head with pride. "Yes, I am Tatewaki Kuno. Have you found my pigtailed girl??"  
  
The first security guard snickered. "Actually, we've come to tell ya that ya've been commanded to leave the ship tomorrow morning. Ya've caused too much trouble for the passengers."  
  
Kuno was horrified. "YOU FOOL, MY FIANCÉE HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED!"  
  
The security guard shook his head. "Ya were already told that your `kidnapper' is not on this ship! Now, please show us your room! We will be taking ya and your belongings to a new cabin."  
  
As Kuno was dragged down the hallway, he had very evil thoughts in his head... "RANMA! RANMA! RANMA!"  
  
~*~  
  
Ranma, Akane, and P-Chan moved away from the door. Each one gave a long sigh of relief. Kuno was finally gone (or so they thought). Suddenly, they all took in their surroundings. Ranma saw P-Chan, and P-Chan saw Ranma. They glared at each other.  
  
It would be a long night.  
  
~*~  
  
Kuno sat in the dark in his "new cabin." No windows and no color (sound familiar? It was a lot like Akane's room!). Saying that Kuno was angry would be an understatement. He was completely furious. "Ranma Saotome!" thought Kuno. "I will not let you see those security guards drag me off this ship! I will not surrender! WE SHALL SEE WHO IS VICTORIOUS!" shouted Kuno.  
  
"Will ya shut up?" called one of the security guards.  
  
So, in the darkness and silence, Kuno brainstormed his revenge...  
  
~*~  
  
In the morning, the ship arrived at Skagway, Alaska. Only moments after the ship docked, an alert looking Kuno began to sneak down the ramp. He had put all his important belongs in his carry-on bag and left everything else behind. It would be worth the revenge on Ranma.  
  
When he was about the reach the land, he saw the two security guards running down the ramp after him. "Come back here, ya maniac!"  
  
But Kuno kept going. There seemed to be nothing in sight except for ice, ice, and more ice. After running for a few minutes, he saw the border of the town up ahead. Despite his fatigue, he scampered as quickly as he could into the first building he saw... "The Glacier Resort & Spa."  
  
~*~  
  
An hour later, Akane, Ranma (male), and P-Chan walked off the ship. Ranma and P-Chan were still giving each other dirty looks, but Akane pretended not to notice.  
  
After walking towards the town for a while, Akane began to get tired. They stopped by a park, and Akane said, "You go ahead to Nabiki's hotel; I'm too tired."  
  
Ranma was hesitant. "Are you sure?" he asked.  
  
Akane nodded. "Yeah. And take P-Chan too- it looks like he's getting cold."  
  
Ranma shrugged. "Okay." Despite P-Chan's non-verbal protests, Ranma took P-Chan from Akane and continued to walk to the town. "Be nice to P-Chan!" Ranma heard Akane call as he walked through the snow.  
  
~*~  
  
Nabiki sat in her hotel's lobby, reading a magazine, as she waited for Ranma and Akane's arrival. She suddenly saw a familiar figure above her magazine... "L'il Kuno," whispered Nabiki.  
  
Kuno was looking around the hotel lobby frantically (for nothing in particular). He felt a tap on his shoulder, and as he cautiously turned around, he saw Nabiki Tendo.  
  
"Hey there, Kuno," said Nabiki.  
  
"Nabiki," Kuno cried, "where is RANMA??"  
  
Nabiki pretended to look thoughtful. "I'm not sure, Kuno," Nabiki answered, "but if you want, you can fly back to the Tendo house with me, and Ranma should be there."  
  
Kuno was extremely confused, but he nodded his head vigorously and declared, "I will defeat Ranma Saotome once and for all, and reclaim my pigtailed girl!"  
  
Nabiki shrugged. "Then come on, I'll get you a room." As they walked to the front desk, Nabiki added, "Of course there will be a price for my services..."  
  
~*~  
  
As soon as Ranma and P-Chan were far from Akane, Ranma looked at P-Chan and sneered. "Ryoga, you're not going to see Akane for a looooong time..."  
  
In the blink of an eye, Ranma tossed P-Chan in the air and kicked him into the far distance (a twinkle appears in the spot on the horizon where P-Chan vanished from view).  
  
Then Ranma continued to Nabiki's hotel, without P-Chan.  
  
When Ranma arrived in the lobby, Nabiki was (once again) reading a magazine. After hearing that Akane wasn't with Ranma, Nabiki said, "Come on up to my room, Ranma."  
  
While Nabiki led Ranma to her room, Ranma noticed that Nabiki didn't seem like she knew where she was going... but oh, well.  
  
They finally arrived in front of a door. "This is it," Ranma heard Nabiki mumble to herself.  
  
"OPEN UP!" Nabiki screamed.  
  
"What's going on...?" Ranma asked with anticipation.  
  
"I'M IN THE SHOWER!" a voice screamed back.  
  
Ranma immediately recognized the voice, and was gone from the hallway before Nabiki could even explain.  
  
~*~  
  
Akane looked at her watch. Where was Ranma? He had been gone for so long. "Hmm, maybe the town was further away than I thought."  
  
At that moment, Ranma raced up to where Akane was sitting. "I'm back! And you'll never guess who's at Nabiki's hotel! I can't believe what she did! She told me that she was taking me to her room and it turned out that she was taking me to-"  
  
"Ranma," interrupted Akane. "Where's P-Chan?"  
  
"Oh... P-Chan... umm..." Ranma mumbled. All of the sudden he couldn't think of what to tell her as a cover-up!  
  
"Ranma! What did you do to P-Chan??" yelled Akane angrily.  
  
"...P-Chan... got lost!" Ranma cried.  
  
"I don't understand why you hate P-Chan so much, Ranma," shouted Akane. "But it's not fair for you to be so mean to him! He's just a pig, and you're a human! You can't take advantage of him like that! I can't believe that you've gone so far as to..." Akane turned to Ranma with tears brimming in her eyes. "What did you do to him, anyway?!"  
  
"I... umm..."  
  
"I hate you, Ranma!" cried Akane. "You always mess up everything for me!" Akane made a snowball and threw it in Ranma's face. The ice-cold snowball melted on Ranma's warm forehead and turned him into a girl. Akane turned to run back to the ship.  
  
~*~  
  
When Kuno went down to the lobby, Nabiki was waiting for him. "You picked a really bad time to be in the shower. Ranma just stopped by. He was outside the door when I called to you."  
  
Kuno's face filled with rage and frustration. "Why didn't you tell me?!?"  
  
"Because it would have given you away! He didn't know you were here! If you had just come and opened the door, you would've caught him off guard!"  
  
Kuno sighed. "Then where is he now?!?"  
  
Nabiki shrugged. "Probably getting back on the ship..."  
  
"THAT STOWAWAY! HE SHALL NOT WIN THIS FIGHT!" Kuno stormed out of the hotel.  
  
~*~  
  
P-Chan was lost in the middle of nowhere. There was no hope of him finding Ranma and Akane again for quite some time. However, for the sake of all P-Chan/Ryoga fans, he did make his way back to Japan a few weeks later (this is starting to sound like the ending of my fic. It's not the end yet!).  
  
~*~  
  
Akane was running so fast that Ranma couldn't catch up to her. "Or maybe," Akane thought crossly, "He doesn't even want to catch up to me." Akane sighed. "Oh, Ranma, I'll never know if you like me or hate me. I wish you'd do something to show me that you do care."  
  
As Akane walked up the ramp to the ship, she looked back, hoping that maybe Ranma was right behind her, on his knees begging for her forgiveness. However, she couldn't see Ranma anywhere. "I guess he doesn't care about me after all," Akane mumbled while she went to her cabin.  
  
Akane locked her door and flopped down on her bed. "Well, Ranma," thought Akane. "If you want to save our little relationship, you'll have to make the first move. I give up."  
  
~*~  
  
Kuno was racing towards the ship when he saw it begin to pull away from the dock. "Nooooooooooo!" screamed Kuno, but it was too late. The ship was headed toward Ketchikan, Alaska, and Kuno was stuck in Skagway with Nabiki and an extremely lost P-Chan.  
  
~*~  
  
After getting hot water and returning to his male form, Ranma paced the deck of the ship. He couldn't believe how stupid he had been! Since Akane didn't know that P-Chan was Ryoga, she didn't know that Ryoga would (hopefully) be able to find his way home. Akane probably thought that P-Chan was lost forever.  
  
"Akane will get over it," thought Ranma. "She's such a macho chick; she can deal with anything. Wait a sec," reconsidered Ranma. "That's not true." Ranma sighed. He could feel his face burn with shame. "I really hurt her today. Come to think of it, I really hurt her feelings a lot."  
  
Ranma tried to remember stuff from his psychology classes. "I got rid of Ryoga because I was jealous," Ranma mumbled. "I wanted Akane for myself." Ranma gulped. That was a hard fact to face, but it was true. "So what's Akane thinking about me right now? Does she know that I got rid of P-Chan because I... I care about her?" Ranma looked at his feet. It was time to show Akane what she really meant to him.  
  
~*~  
  
Akane was still sulking in her cabin when there was a quick knock at her door. "Maybe it's Ranma," thought Akane with irritation. "He can see how horrible he's made me feel." She went to the sink and put water on her cheeks to exaggerate her tears.  
  
But when she opened the door, no one was there. Except on the door, there was a white Post-It note covered with sad faces. In messy handwriting was written:  
  
Dear Akane,  
  
I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. I was wondering if you could join me for dinner at the restaurant "Candlelight" at 7:00. Please come.  
  
-Ranma  
  
Akane was extremely surprised. Ranma sounded so sincere. Part of her wanted to decline the invitation just to hurt Ranma's feelings like he hurt hers. Nonetheless, something told her that she had to go.  
  
~*~  
  
Ranma peeked out of the window in "Candlelight." Akane was standing right near the door, wearing her best kimono. Ranma couldn't help but think how pretty she was. He took a deep breath and stepped outside of the restaurant.  
  
"Hi, Akane," said Ranma, hoping that his face wasn't red with embarrassment.  
  
Akane also seemed slightly nervous. "Hi, Ranma," muttered Akane. "Umm, thanks for inviting me."  
  
Ranma grinned sheepishly. "Uh, come in!" And he led her to the back of the restaurant, where a room filled with candles, flowers, classical music, and wonderful smells awaited them. On the floor was a low table, and on two opposite sides there were tatami mats sprinkled with rose petals on the ground (sound familiar? It was copied word for word from Chapter 4!). Akane was startled. Had Ranma truly done this for her?  
  
(An image forms in Akane's mind. Ranma and her are eating a delicious dinner when five concubines walk into the room and sit by Ranma. "Who are they?" Akane asks. Ranma snorts. "My concubines. Move over, this is their dinner." The concubines kick Akane out the window and into the sea. "Ranma!" screams Akane, but there is no answer. "I thought you loved me, Ranma, but you'll never love me, will you? I hate you, Ranma! I hate you!")  
  
"Akane? Are you okay?"  
  
Akane came back to her senses. "Yeah, I'm fine," Akane insisted severely, still remembering her contemplation.  
  
"Whatever," Ranma mumbled as he motioned for Akane to sit down.  
  
Once they had ordered their food, Ranma folded his hands and glanced at Akane nervously. "Umm, Akane, I wanted to talk to about... about what happened earlier today."  
  
Akane nodded her head.  
  
Ranma looked down at his miso soup. "...I'm really sorry about P-Chan. I guess I was... just jealous. I didn't mean to hurt you." Ranma's face reddened even more. "And... I'm sorry about all the other times, too. Every time I call you `macho chick' or `tomboy' and everything. I just don't stop to think if it will actually hurt you or not." Ranma gazed into space. "You probably think that I'm only your fiancée because my pop is making me marry you. But... that's not true." Ranma stopped and looked at Akane.  
  
She was crying. Her cheeks were wet and her eyes were flowing with tears. But Ranma could see that Akane was smiling.  
  
The food arrived. Before they began to eat, Akane whispered, "Thank you, Ranma..."  
  
Ranma smiled back at her, and Akane blushed. They started to eat.  
  
~*~  
  
After dinner, Ranma and Akane walked out onto the deck.  
  
Ranma took Akane by the hand and told her to look up at the stars. "What do you see?" Ranma asked her.  
  
Akane tried, but she couldn't see anything except for the glimmering lights among the sky. "I don't know," she mumbled. "I just see... stars."  
  
Ranma thought for a moment, and then whispered, "That's what I used to see, too. But Kuno told me that if you look carefully, you can see that the stars form a heart."  
  
Akane stared into the sky, looking for the heart. Suddenly, she could see it! Wait... was that an A & R in the middle of the heart? No, she must be seeing things... "Do I love Ranma?" Akane asked herself. "I don't know," she thought. "Is this what love is?"  
  
Ranma looked out upon the sea. He had to say it... but what if she didn't love him back? What if she really hated him? "Okay... I need to calm down," thought Ranma. "Just... go... for it..."  
  
"I love you," whispered Ranma and Akane at the same time.  
  
Ranma and Akane faced each other. "Really?" Akane asked him.  
  
Ranma blushed. And nodded. And smiled. 


	10. An Epilogue But Not A Sequel... YET!

An Epilogue But Not A Sequel... YET!  
  
Note: IF YOU HAVE NOT YET READ THE COMPLETED CHAPTER 9, DO SO NOW, BEFORE YOU READ THE EPILOGUE!!! NOW HERE ARE A BUNCH OF SPACES SO YOU CAN'T PEEK!  
  
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Ranma and Akane spent the rest of the cruise together. Since there are a variety of imaginations out there, YOU can come up with a bunch of your own scenarios for the rest of the trip. For an example, Kuno flies over the ship in a helicopter and abducts Ranma, or Ranma and Akane love each other so much that they decide to get married on the ship. HOWEVER, I have decided to write a sequel, so don't get too carried away!  
  
As stated in Chapter 9, P-Chan spent a long time roaming around Alaska, and finally found his way back to the Tendo joint. His revenge on Ranma and Kuno shall be saved for the sequel.  
  
Kuno spent the rest of his cruise time in Skagway with Nabiki, planning his revenge on Ranma and thinking about his wedding and honeymoon with the pigtailed girl. By the time he returned to Japan with Nabiki, he had paid her over 70,000 yen for random errands.  
  
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Author's Note: I can't believe I finished!! I'm so sad! I am definitely writing a sequel!! Omagod! I am starting my sequel now! Right now!! Everyone pleeeeeeeeeze give me recommendations and suggestions in your reviews (and give me compliments, too!)... Did you like my ending? Do you even want me to write a sequel? And the sequel will have Ranma, Akane, Kuno, Ryoga, Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyo, Nabiki, Kodachi, Happosai... everyone! I'm so hyper! And even Pantyhose Taro (I love Pantyhose Taro!!)!!!!! Bye, now!! 


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